Cabinet to vote on Gaza op this week
Government to convene by Wednesday as leadership grows increasingly convinced Hamas has no intentions of committing to genuine ceasefire. Meanwhile, IDF troops kill Palestinian gunman planting explosive device in Gaza
Over the course of the coming week the Israeli government is expected to rule on whether to order an extensive military operation in the Gaza Strip.
As Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the cabinet ministers voice increasing doubt of Hamas' sincerity in committing to a ceasefire, there is also an acknowledgment that any temporary truce would likely only be used by Gaza's armed groups to regroup and gain strength – force that would only end up being used against Israel's southern communities, already under daily bombardment.
Immediately after the Shavuot holiday Olmert will consult with the 'kitchenette' - Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak and various senior figures from the defense establishment.
A cabinet meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, though for now the official agenda listed for it is a topic other than the situation in Gaza.
Should Hamas and the other terror groups use the holiday to increase their attacks, it will increase the pressure on the government to order a military response.
"The way it looks now, we're closer to launching an operation in Gaza than we are to any other arrangement," Olmert told reporters accompanying him back to Israel from Washington on Friday.
During his visit Olmert clarified Israel's stance to US President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Meanwhile, a Hamas gunman was killed during the night after IDF troops spotted him laying an explosive device near the border fence.
